


Memories Rekindled by the Snow

by ClaireKat



Category: Oban Star-Racers
Genre: Gen, Gift Fic, One Shot, holiday fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-24
Updated: 2016-12-24
Packaged: 2018-09-11 17:49:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9000604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClaireKat/pseuds/ClaireKat
Summary: Eva and some alien friends enjoy an afternoon of snow time merriment.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [aepaex](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=aepaex).



> This fic might seem kind of isolated and thin on plot and that’s because it is. This is a gift fic for an awesome friend of mine, Apex, who has been nothing but kind and supportive since we became friends only a few months ago. (She also has really good art so check her out at apexdraws!!!) She really enjoys a minor character from this show, and considering both the size of the fandom and minor character status, I wanted to do something nice for her for Christmas. Unfortunately, I don’t know if the idea played out as swimmingly as it did when I pictured it in my head, but as someone who has practically o drawing art skills, this was the best medium I could employ. I tried my best to convey the kind of nurturing and curious relationship I think Spirit has with the others, so I hope he doesn’t seem too OOC. I really hope you enjoy it anyway, Apex, and have a very Merry Christmas! (PS: Can you find the anime reference I tucked into one of the lines? Don’t forget to hang some mistletoe for you know who ;U)

It was a dry and frigid day, the day after a silent snowstorm had passed through this region and its unsuspecting dwellings. The sounds of powdered snow being disrupted by hands and feet accompanied the trills of joy resounding echoing from a nearby snowy field. A peculiar group had gathered to make use of the recent snowfall, although some might have questioned what was really going on after noticing the truly curious forms that were present. Eva, the human who had instigated this impromptu gathering, was used to her companions’ peculiarity. Most people also probably would not have given her friends a second glance, but then again most people were also accustomed to routine alien visitors by now. 

“Aikka, no fair, you can’t use your magic to make perfect snowballs!” Eva huffed at one such alien who was visiting her for the human holidays. She crossed her arms in a disgruntled fashion, raising an eyebrow at the blatant magic Aikka used without a second thought. “You have to roll snowballs the traditional way, like the rest of us. Using some sort of ancient alien power just isn’t sportsmanlike if your opponent can’t use it too.”

Aikka responded to Eva’s haughty lecture with a blank expression, waiting for her to march a bit closer before using his magic to hurl another illegally formed snowball at her. Sufficiently perturbed, Eva brushed the flakes from her face and tackled him, knocking them both into the snow with a resounding puff of white. The scene that could be glimpsed through the settling snow revealed Eva seemingly attempting to make an alien snowman out of him. The sounds of their teasing and struggle filled the air, accentuating the carefree whimsy permeating their afternoon. A happy time, a unique experience for the aliens visiting earth who had yet to encounter weather like this, Aikka being only one of them. 

The other alien, a Phils by the name of Spirit, was busy making his own judgements and observations about the glittering snowy landscape. Every sensation was interesting and unique, able to be grouped with others of its kind but still maintaining an individuality that intrigued him. The air had a slightly different temperature than the snow and the snowflakes, like their intricate designs, all had varying textures and temperatures that weren’t perfectly identical to one another. He had seen Eva laying down in the snow not too  long ago, spreading her arms and legs open and closed until she had sufficiently completed what he believed she had called a ‘snow angel.’ Spirit decided maybe that would be fun to try too.

He laid himself down on the blanket of frozen crystals covering the ground, expanding more than just his arms and legs as his body molded into a variety of shapes and sizes as he saw fit. He traced a few more designs in this fashion before observing them and finding himself quite pleased with his work. He couldn’t recall a time when he had been able to do something like this on his planet, considering they didn’t have weather like this, and he felt both giddy and grateful that he was able to experiment with it here. Distracted by his own fun making while the other two duked it out, he turned his head to face them when Eva called his name. 

“Hey, Spirit, I was wondering if you’d be okay with trying something?”

Spirit nodded and strode over to join them, wanting to hear Eva’s words and also observe whether or not they had done anything to unintentionally harm themselves. All seemed well, and aside from the bright glow of Eva’s chilly cheeks, she and Aikka were two bundles of snowy joy content to share this time with one another. Spirit was grateful to be here as well, both eager to share in the experience and spend time with people he had come to cherish. 

“So, apart from snowball fights and making snow angels and people, there’s this fun thing to do that we’re just lucky enough to have a huge hill nearby to pull off,” Eva explained, gesturing to said hill before jogging over to remind herself exactly what they had to work with. “I was thinking, with your shape shifting abilities, maybe you could mimic a sled? I mean, even just your racing form would probably work well, but only if you want to!”

Eva offered Spirit her hand and projected memories of her own sledding experiences to him, ensuring that he would understand what she meant in order to deliberate whether he wanted to try it or not. With this new information, Spirit found himself wanting to do it both for himself and his friends. Slowly and expertly, his malleable and flexible black body shifted into a more compact version of his streamlined racing form. This sleek and maneuverable body would no doubt cut across the snow like skates on ice.

He gestured with a flip of his wing for Eva and Aikka to climb on, and with excitement shining in her eyes Eva led Aikka carefully onto his surprisingly soft back, if it could in fact be designated as a back. Spirit waited to ensure that they were both situated comfortably and holding on securely before inching forward to the hill’s crest. It was a steep and lengthy slope, a landmark that Eva had hazy memories of sledding down once or twice with her mom when times like that were still possible.  

It had been so long since Eva had brought people back here, to her home, since even she had been back. Despite all the hardships the Great Race of Oban had wrought upon her and the other racers, times like these made it practically impossible not to be grateful for the bonds they had formed in one way or another. Those that had made it to the end, that had managed to escape with moderate safety and the ability to heal through the aid they found in each other, she considered fondly in the wake of the chaotic circumstances that had almost kept them from being able to gather here today. Even with pessimism and fear singing the edges of the memories she carried with her, she couldn’t find a pang of regret in her heart.

“Alright, is everyone ready?” she prompted as she patted the back of her monster turned friend. The distant and scarring events that had originally torn a heavy rift between them were reconciled on the racetrack by a miracle of understanding and Spirit’s kindness. He had recalled the events that plagued Eva with despair and brought closure to a chapter in her life that had altered her course forever. It was surreal to consider how far they had come. 

Getting back to the question at hand, Spirit gave a confirmatory flap of his wings and Aikka replied with a decisive nod. Teetering on the cusp of the hill, Eva and Aikka hunkered against Spirit’s back and braced themselves as he thrust himself over the edge. The trio barreled down the snowy slope with precision, speed, and grace, with the wind whipping against their hair, clothes, and skin with an icy fierceness. Its sting was swallowed by the elation and exhilaration of their adrenaline inducing downhill ride. 

Upon reaching the bottom Spirit glided forward with the momentum gained from the hill, doing his best to avoid tossing his passengers into the blank white abyss surrounding them. Trying to curb his speed, he turned abruptly to the side and was flipped over unexpectedly by the force of the air current that filled the gap they left in the wind. In a split second he, Eva, and Aikka were tossed into the snow, leaving uneven trails where they skidded to abrupt stops on their own. 

Eva’s breath ghosted through the air in foggy bursts, and she decided to take this moment to recoup as she lay surrounded by powdered crystals that stung against the heat of her skin. She basked in the dizzying atmosphere clouding her head. The sled ride rekindled several memories in her mind as she stared into the empty overcast sky above. She analyzed the phases of these memories, from her experiences at the boarding school to her trials during the Great Race of Oban. She recalled one of the races that took place in a considerably treacherous and tricky tundra locale. She couldn’t bring herself to label many of the memories as fond ones. Part of her wished she had a more detailed reservoir of happy holidays spent with family she could draw on at times like these. She heaved a sigh and ruminated on the memories that  _ had _ surfaced.

She remembered the sleet and ice that would pound against the only window in her room at the boarding school as she huddled against the sole metal heater in the corner that radiated a pitiful degree of heat. She remembered trudging her way through freshly fallen barricades of snow to the shed where she worked on her rocket scooter, performing maintenance and insuring it wouldn’t be ruined by the icy air. She even remembered a time or two she had been included in some of the more enjoyable winter time activities a few of the other boarders pursued in the wake of such abysmal weather; snowball fights, building snowmen, and making use of whatever pieces of discarded and suitable material for sledding they could scrounge up. 

Her few happy memories of occasional snowtime fun began to melt away the cynicism of less fond ones, and with an unexpected pang of nostalgia she sat up in the snow. Aikka and Spirit were gathering themselves a few feet away from her, and she could already hear Aikka excitedly asking Spirit to have another go. Yes, there were times in her life she had suffered, that she felt despair and feared that sadness and loneliness would engulf her. But making new memories like this, and spending time with those that she knew cared about her gave her hope that she would be able to rebuild the inner strength that had preserved her through it all. Perhaps she could even replace the unpleasant memories with new ones, and dull the pain that kept her from enjoying all that life had to offer. After all, the Great Race of Oban was over. Being able to rebuild their lives despite the circumstances was starting to seem like a more than adequate prize. 


End file.
